<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Secrets To Die For by CaptainParisStarr</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28436934">Secrets To Die For</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainParisStarr/pseuds/CaptainParisStarr'>CaptainParisStarr</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Comfort, Character Death, Crossdressing, Enemies to Lovers, First Time, Fourth Death and Class Trial, M/M, Memory Loss, Mentions of Suicide, Pet Names</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:46:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,478</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28436934</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainParisStarr/pseuds/CaptainParisStarr</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto cannot be in love with a boy he only just met, so what is this electric feeling he has for Byakuya, and why does Byakuya feel the same way he does?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>73</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Connection</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Makoto pushed the door to the bath open, so lost in thought he almost didn't notice that he wasn't alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not that it mattered, since the person already submerged in the large bath was also male. Or at least, it shouldn't have mattered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, Byakuya, I didn't expect to see you here." Makoto’s comment was completely off hand, though part of him was oddly curious what the blond looked like nude.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Makoto?!" For some reason, Byakuya slid deeper into the bath, his hands crossed over his chest, his cheeks flaming briefly red with embarrassed surprise, turning away so that Makoto would not see.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There's no need to be shy, although now that I think about it, you've probably never taken a group bath before." Makoto turned away and turned on one of the showers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, I have not." Byakuya glanced over at Makoto, relieved at the easy explanation, and watching as he showered off; though his vision was not good enough to make out fine details without his glasses, he could still see.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he definitely saw the moment Makoto dropped the towel to finish washing off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wanted to leave, just get up and walk out of the room while Makoto was occupied with showering off, but the sight of Makoto's naked body not only held him captive; it made him hard. A fact which, if he ran into anyone else in the changeroom, he would have to explain, and he would rather avoid that conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Byakuya…" He could feel eyes on him, but knew that pushing Byakuya’s buttons was a bad idea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes?" He turned away at last as Makoto turned the shower off, not wanting to be caught staring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, nevermind." He crossed the room and got into the tub, seating himself at the far end, away from Byakuya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Go ahead, say whatever it was you were just thinking to ask me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I was just wondering what your secret is, but I doubt you'd tell me." He decided to play it safe and spoke the first thing that came to his mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya was quiet for a long moment. "Maybe I will tell you, if you tell me yours first."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why do you care what my secret is?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My secret is worth murdering over."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Huh?!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not for me; if my secret got out, it would make me a target. Not that I would allow myself to be murdered, of course. So I need leverage; if I do tell you, I need something I can use against you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Make you a target?" Makoto was surprised. "I don't care who knows my secret; you can't blackmail me with it. All it is the simple fact that I wet the bed until fifth grade."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fifth grade?" Byakuya was surprised for the first time outside of a class trial.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Was it medical?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, at least I don't think so. At least I was never taken to the doctor for it. It wasn't a nightly occurrence."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I see." Byakuya glanced over at the door leading into the changeroom, then he slid closer to Makoto. "My secret is this: I'm gay."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Huh?!" Makoto found himself staring into Byakuya's eyes from only inches away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya stilled, his hands resting on the side of the tub, one on either side of Makoto as he slowly leaned forward, then he pulled away again as he heard someone enter the changeroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Female voices drifted into the room, and Byakuya stood up, giving Makoto an eyeful though his body was calm once more. "I've wasted enough time soaking." Wrapping a towel firmly around his waist, he left the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leaning back, Makoto listened to the ensuing chaos playing out next door as Byakuya ordered the girls to leave so he could get dressed, and also let them know there was a boy still using the bath, a small courtesy he had never expected from the heir.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the chaos calmed, he allowed his mind to wander back to Byakuya's confession; and his expression as he had him pinned. Had he almost been kissed?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto's eyes slid closed, and behind his eyelids he saw Byakuya kissing him, his hands leaving the sides of the tub to slide over Makoto's chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His eyes flew open and south, to where his shaft stood proudly at full mast. "Huh, why? I like girls…?" Even to his own ears, the words rang hollow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Standing, he bolted for the door, throwing his clothes back on, and ran for his room, needing to be alone to figure out why he was hard over Byakuya Togami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Byakuya leaned against the locked door of his dorm room, his heart pounding. Why had he outed himself like that; and more importantly, why had he tried to kiss Makoto?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto was attractive, there was no denying that, however he was an ordinary commoner, and not worthy of a Togami's attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Am I going crazy?" Byakuya pushed himself away from the door almost violently. "Why does my heart race when I look into his eyes? It is almost as though I love him, and yet that is impossible. How can I love someone I only just met?” He sighed, letting his guard down only because he was confident he was alone; and the security camera inside the room had already picked up far worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I fall in love easily; that is undeniable, but even I cannot love someone I only just met a few days ago. Can I?” Shaking his head, he began to undress once more in preparation for heading to bed, a headache pounding behind his temples from the stress of having to figure Makoto out.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Large blue eyes haunted him; every time he closed his eyes to try and sleep, those eyes would appear behind his eyelids.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why had they looked like that, so tender and caring? Byakuya didn’t care about anyone but himself, he had made that abundantly clear time and time again. And yet the emotion in his eyes as he had leaned in to kiss him was undeniable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As was the fact that Makoto was going to let him. He only liked girls, and yet he had not been planning to push Byakuya away. Why? What was this strange, electric energy that formed between them whenever their eyes met? What would it feel like to touch Byakuya’s bare skin?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not that he had touched him; not even to shake his hand when they first met in the entrance hall. Byakuya had not offered, and Makoto had been too intimidated by his holier-than-thou bearing to press the issue. Not that handshaking was a traditional Japanese greeting to begin with; it was a Western act.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even when being pinned to the side of the bath, they had not touched.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sighing, Makoto opened his eyes and checked the time; one thirty in the morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s no good, I’m not getting any sleep. Maybe I should…” He swallowed hard; waking Byakuya up might just be the worst idea he had ever had in his life. But he wasn’t the Ultimate Lucky Student for nothing, so maybe… just maybe…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slipping out of bed, he crossed the room and opened his door just a crack and peered out, confirming that there was no one in the hallway. Only then did he leave his room, hurrying across to Byakuya’s door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knocked softly, not wanting to wake him up, and so when the door opened a few seconds later he nearly jumped out of his skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we talk?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you here to try and murder me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! No of course not! It’s about this evening…” He glanced around, not wanting to say anything more in the hallway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine.” Byakuya stepped back, allowing Makoto to enter his room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll get straight to the point; why did you try to kiss me in the bath?” Makoto resisted the urge to cross his arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This may come as a surprise, but I do not know. Makoto, do you feel anything when you look at me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh? Well… yeah. You’re a very handsome man, but I don’t swing that way…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sound uncertain.” Byakuya stepped closer, cautiously lowering his guard, as he heard Makoto gasp. “Do you feel that as well?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you mean a feeling as though our bodies are calling out for one another?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is as apt a way to put it as any.” Byakuya leaned in closer, and their noses bumped, sending electric sparks sliding down both spines. “This feels like…” He shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Love?” Makoto’s voice was small.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, love. But that is impossible.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For once I agree with you. We don’t know each other well enough to have fallen in love…” Makoto’s eyes slid closed as he was kissed for the first time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only it didn’t feel like the first time; he felt like he had already tasted Byakuya’s lips a million times.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Makoto…” His name was breathed out on a sigh as he was led to the bed with a surprisingly gentle grip on his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not letting you put anything inside my ass.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s fine; there was a second part to my secret.” He held out an envelope; one Makoto instantly recognized from being handed his own deep dark secret. Frowning at Byakuya, he opened the envelope and read the note contained inside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Despite being the heir to the Togami name; Byakuya enjoys men making love to him.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>To</span>
  </em>
  <span> him? Makoto’s eyes scanned the words he had read aloud a second time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As in bottoming?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” The note slipped through Makoto’s now limp fingers. Byakuya was a bottom?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong; can’t quite picture me taking it?” Byakuya’s tone was his usual condescending scorn, but Makoto had never seen his cheeks go pink before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I can’t.” Makoto sighed. “You’re just so… on guard all the time. I can’t see you letting go enough to trust anyone to do something like that to you.” Makoto didn’t want to see the look in Byakuya’s eyes as he all but called him cold hearted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, is that all?” Byakuya grinned. “So all I have to do is prove that I do trust you with my body.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Trust me… with your body?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There are different levels of trust. I trust you not to hurt me; if you wanted to murder me, you would have made a move by now. You’re not the type to lead anyone into a trap.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Point taken.” Makoto decided to neither agree nor disagree with Byakuya’s assessment. “So um…” He blushed hard, shifting from foot to foot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya sighed. “Come here. You have no idea what to do, do you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto blinked at him; was it possible that just now Byakuya had been teasing him? His tone had almost been playful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I’ve never even kissed before…” He touched his lips as he spoke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Makoto?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s nothing.” Shaking off the strange feeling of deja vu, he stepped closer to Byakuya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you also feel like kissing me was too familiar?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” He sighed as a velvet soft finger was traced over his lips, his eyes fluttering closed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Back up.” He took a step back, then another, and another, until he felt the bed bump against the back of his legs, and he fell backwards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya crawled on top of him. “Hey… uh… why were you so shy in the bath?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I’m gay.” Byakuya huffed, like it should have been obvious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do I need to spell it out for you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Imbecile.” But his tone was tender, almost as though using the word as a term of endearment. “You made me hard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh…” Makoto blushed sheepishly, as his eyes slid south, towards Byakuya’s noticeably tented pyjama pants. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you like to see?” Makoto nodded. “Then disrobe me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Disrobe?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Undress.” Byakuya’s lips ghosted over Makoto’s neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No fair! I can’t think when you do that!” Makoto felt his head fall back as his eyes slid closed once more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who said you’re allowed to think? Just feel.” A hint of tongue followed the caress of lips, causing Makoto to whimper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The lips settled over his pulse point; then without warning he was bitten just hard enough to leave a mark. “Byakuya!” His hand flew to the mark, covering it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Relax, you always wear that ‘hoodie’. The hood will cover the mark.” A soft tongue soothed over the skin, making Makoto squirm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His hands moved without conscious thought, fumbling over the buttons on Byakuya’s pyjama shirt, but somehow managing to pop each one open before pushing the silk off of Byakuya’s shoulders. “Your skin is so soft…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course; part of being an heir is taking perfect care of my body. However, there are a few needs even I cannot properly take care of alone.” He guided Makoto’s hand south.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t jerk off?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do.” For just a second, Byakuya looked sheepish, as though the act dirtied him. “However, I’m only truly satisfied by the touch of another man.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto knew what was being asked of him, and felt no hesitation as he pushed Byakuya’s pants down to his knees before taking him into his hand. “So you don’t bleach your hair.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I would never do something so crude.” He sighed as Makoto carded his finger through dark blond curls, then down to cup firm balls.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“May I touch you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto nodded, sighing as he felt his own pants get pushed down, and a hand wrap around his shaft.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They kissed again, and Makoto felt a tongue against his own for the first time, his hand moving from Byakuya’s balls to cup the back of his neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then his hand was knocked away, but before he could ask, Byakuya’s weight was settled firmly on top of him, and the blond began to gently thrust, rubbing their shafts together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pleasure rush was completely unexpected, and already lightheaded from the kisses, Makoto was unable to hold back, cumming all over Byakuya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“M-Makoto…” Byakuya made the sweetest sound he had ever heard as he also came in a rush of heat coating his chest and stomach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What for?” Byakuya did not meet his eyes as he got up for a towel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I came early.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I do not believe you did. You were already close when I changed what we were doing. You have nothing to apologize for.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was that sex?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, one form of sex between men.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto nodded, sighing as he was cleaned up. “The other type is anal?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Byakuya shook his head. “I’ve pushed you far enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pushed?” Makoto frowned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You feel good about it now, however I am uncertain how you will feel in the morning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto looked away, his heart aching. After going so far, was he being rejected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seeing his lover's expression, Byakuya pulled Makoto against him. “I’m not putting the brakes on anything. I’m not rejecting you. I simply wish for you to be with me of your own free will. If you still feel this way tomorrow, come to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” He finally understood that Byakuya was giving him time to fully process what was happening, and to see if he would freak or decide he wasn’t okay with being with a man before they took that last step.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leaning up, he kissed Byakuya’s lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>I love you</span>
  </em>
  <span> rose to his lips, but he swallowed the words down; he was too confused for such a confession.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya was right, he needed to sleep on it and see how he felt in the morning.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Confrontation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>A few days later, Makoto was resting in his room when there was a sudden knock at the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byakuya?” He frowned; his lover was surprisingly bold and aggressive when it came to affection and physical contact, but even so, it was the middle of the day. Would he really want sex in broad daylight when he was desperate to keep his sexual proclivity between the two of them?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly, he opened the door, and sure enough came face to face with his boyfriend. “May I come in?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto’s eyes were drawn towards the bag he was holding; a bag that had clearly been procured from the warehouse and wondered what was inside, even as he stepped back and allowed Byakuya to enter. “What’s with the bag?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll see in a moment, assuming I’m allowed to use your bathroom?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” Makoto’s confusion deepened. “Yeah, sure, go ahead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Byakuya disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind himself, Makoto sat down on his bed, wondering what Byakuya was thinking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All he really knew was that there was no way Byakuya had barged in on him just to use the toilet; if that was what he needed, he would have gone back to his own room, or else used one of the public bathrooms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was he preparing himself for anal?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thought rose unbidden in Makoto’s mind, making his entire body feel hot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The morning following his first sexual exploration in Byakuya’s bed, he greeted the heir with a kiss when no one else was around to see, and since then they had been making every excuse possible to be alone together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But even so, they had yet to take that last step and make their bodies one. Was that what this was all about? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As was fitting an heir of the Togami family, Byakuya had a high sex drive, and at present Makoto was the sole recipient of his sexual attentions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The moments ticked on, with no indication of what was happening inside his bathroom, and Makoto began to worry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byakuya, are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” As though waiting for a cue, the door slowly opened, revealing what Byakuya had been doing in the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What…?” Makoto had no idea how he was supposed to react.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first thing he noticed was that Byakuya was not wearing his glasses, and his eyes were dusted with make-up; make-up that had not been applied with a skilled hand. Likewise, his lips were red with lipstick.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto’s eyes slid further south, drawn by the darker red of the sundress Byakuya was wearing, and down bare legs to equally bare feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byakuya… I know you’re male, and I’m okay…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He broke off as Byakuya turned away, and he realized he had completely misread his intentions. The dress wasn’t for him; it was for Byakuya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you saying this doesn’t suit me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, red is not your color. Where did you get that dress?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I ordered it from a shady website.” Byakuya’s voice dripped with sarcasm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, I guess the warehouse is the only place we can find new clothes. Maybe later we can go together and find something that is your color.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Makoto?” Byakuya finally met his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m surprised; I never thought you would be into wearing women’s clothing which is why I misread you.” He held his arms open, and after a moment's hesitation, Byakuya went to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve had male lovers before; servants working for my family mostly, though I also seduced two of the tutors my Father hired to further my studies, however I have never revealed this side of myself to anyone else. I wasn’t certain how you would react, and yet something told me not to hide this from you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to hide anything from me.” Makoto kissed him, wincing at the strange taste of the lipstick, and he went to get a tissue and wipe Byakuya’s lips clean before kissing him again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have another surprise for you.” The words were whispered between kisses pressed along the length of Makoto’s neck, making him shiver.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Another one?” His hands slipped up underneath the dress, and he was not surprised to find that Byakuya was otherwise completely naked. “It’s obviously not an ability to walk in heels.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course I can walk in heels, the warehouse simply did not have any; and my feet are large so I usually have to custom order footwear. That is not the surprise however.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto removed his hands and led Byakuya over to his bed. “You prepared yourself for me.” It wasn’t a question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that is part of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Part? Makoto frowned again as Byakuya lay down on his stomach, the skirt hiked up to his waist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right now? Byakuya, it’s the middle of the day!” Makoto was shocked, yet oddly aroused by the idea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We are the most suspicious at night, and furthermore everyone is scattered about the school searching for missed clues. We are safe so long as no one can barge in here, and I made certain to lock the door behind me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, point taken.” Makoto knew that there were no condoms to be found anywhere in the school because he had conducted a rather intensive search the day before, but he had found Vaseline jelly which would work as a lubricant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I need to be clear but, you’re okay with it being bareback? I couldn’t find any condoms.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I found some hidden in my dorm room, however they were all faulty; the few I tested out were dry and broke when I tried to unroll them. The expiration date has not passed however…” Byakuya sighed. “So yes, bareback is our only option.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This surprise… is it also something you found hidden in some dark recess of your room?” Makoto wasted no time in unzipping himself, before flattening his body against the line of Byakuya’s back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” Byakuya did not elaborate; instead preferring to rock his hips against his lover, eager to finally take that last step, and wondering if it would feel as oddly familiar as everything else he had done with Makoto had been.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A soft gasp told him that Makoto had found his surprise, and he sighed as the plug was gently pulled out of him, only to be replaced by something softer and more real.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ready?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” He lifted his hips eagerly, and easily took every last inch of Makoto deep within himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh wow…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Indeed.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They fell into a rhythm that should have been clumsy and awkward and yet, even though Makoto should have been a virgin, and yet it was smooth, each of them knowing exactly how to move to compliment the motions of the other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya buried his face into his arms, panting heavily and not wanting anyone to see how undone he was. Had he been truly alone with Makoto he might not have cared so much, but he didn’t want anyone watching through the security camera to see his face. See just how lost he was in Makoto’s touch; how much Makoto’s actions were melting him, turning him into a boneless bag of flesh that couldn’t think or speak, only feel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dimly, he realized that Makoto was talking to him; not just calling out his name, but asking him a question. “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m close… inside or outside?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His sex-fuzzed brain took longer than it should have to process just what Makoto was asking. “P-pull out… not… inside… please…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His lips were sealed by Makoto’s as the man continued to thrust inside him for another minute, then he felt him pull out, accompanied by a wash of heat across his lower back, and a hand slipping underneath him, stroking him to his own completion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then they collapsed into a tangled mess of limbs on the bed. “That… that was…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not the first time we’ve done this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” Makoto blinked at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Something very strange is going on, Maki.” The pet-name just slipped out of him, summoned from somewhere just outside his reach. “I’ve been with skilled lovers before, but it’s never been that good the first time. Which can only mean that this </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> the first time for us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How is that possible?” Makoto blinked at him, once more lost in the depths of confusion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That… I have no idea.” Byakuya was as lost as Makoto was. Nothing about them made any sense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Also… Maki?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I apologize, I do not know why I called you that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t… I liked it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Understood… Maki.” Deciding that it was not an appropriate moment to explore the newfound mystery any further, he kissed Makoto instead… and broke away hastily as someone rang the doorbell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bathroom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Understood.” Byakuya dashed for the bathroom, the stained skirt of the dress he still wore swirling around his legs, as Makoto quickly cleaned himself up, and tucked everything away, glad he had chosen to not undress fully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only once he was confident that no one could tell what he had just been doing did he open the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Am I interrupting?” Kyoko’s eyes took in his sweat drenched clothes in a heartbeat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was just working out on my own.” He said the first thing that came to mind, and she nodded slowly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want you to come with me.” She did not elaborate, as though worried that ears other than his own could hear her words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he could not tell if she suspected that he was not alone in the room, or if she was simply being cautious of the security camera.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto agreed, only because he could see no easy way to get her to leave on her own and still ensure that Byakuya could slip away unnoticed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course, never in his wildest dreams did he suspect that after investigating the hidden room he would help discover Sakura’s dead body.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Makoto stepped into the chem-lab, and slowly approached Byakuya. “Hey…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not here.” Instead of discussing the implications of Sakura dying while Byakuya had been in his bed; and therefore lacking an alibi; he instead directed Makoto’s attention to a mess of spilled powder in front of the chemical cabinets, and the footprints embedded into said powder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can I see your shoes?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byakuya…” He broke off as he saw his boyfriends eyes, and knew that this was just for show. Byakuya knew full well that there was no time for him to have killed Sakura since they were together when she died.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had no doubt the sketch that Byakuya had him draw out would come in handy for the class trial though, and even with the air of suspicion hanging over anything, he was happy to simply spend a few more minutes alone with his boyfriend.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Two of the three recipients of Sakura’s notes asking to meet up at the rec room had been cleared of suspicion; and though both Hiro and Toko admitted to hitting her in the head with Monokuma bottles, neither blow had been fatal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which left them back at square one, and a pit of dread settled into Makoto’s stomach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byakuya, where were you at noon today?” Kyoko’s words turned the pit into a sea of dread, and his eyes locked with Byakuya’s across the room, wondering how they could get out of outing themselves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You suspect me now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have collected the whereabouts of everyone except for you, so I ask you again; at noon, where were you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I did receive a note to go to the rec room at noon, however I tore it up and threw it into the garbage. I never stepped foot into the rec room until after the body discovery announcement was made.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone fell silent as they realized he had dodged the question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you saying you were in your room all alone?” Kyoko pressed harder for an answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I say I was, will you be satisfied.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Puhuhu.” Monokuma began to laugh. “I know where everyone was, and what everyone was doing. Byakuya was not alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Grr…” Byakuya growled, radiating tension and displeasure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If he was not alone, does that mean he’s lying about going to the rec room?” Aoi pointed an accusing finger at Byakuya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byakuya…” Makoto caught his attention with that one word, and nodded minutely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine, I’ll tell you. At noon, I was with Makoto.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Makoto was in his room at noon; and he was alone when I collected him.” Kyoko’s tone was one of triumph, as though she had uncovered a lie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To be more specific, I was in Makoto’s bathroom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh? His bathroom?” Aoi’s eyes clouded with surprise. “And just what were you doing in his bathroom?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cleaning up from having just engaged in intimate acts with Makoto.” Byakuya carefully answered, wanting to avoid revealing that he was the bottom, and that he’d been crossdressing at the time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Intimate…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Acts?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait you mean like sex?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya crumpled under the combined glare of every set of eyes save one, and turned the darkest red Makoto had ever seen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whoa, he’s blushing! He’s totally blushing!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does that mean he’s telling the truth?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I believe so.” Kyoko took skillful control of the debate. “Byakuya has the best self control I have ever seen, and he does not allow himself to show any weakness. He would not be ashamed of lying, and would not blush if he had been lying about bedding Makoto. The fact that he is blushing tells me that he was hoping this fact would not come to light, meaning it's the truth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can confirm that Byakuya, the last remaining Togami heir and Ultimate Affluent Progeny, is in fact, completely gay. It was the secret I handed to him as a motive.” Monokuma confirmed, in his normal, flippant tone. “I was wondering how long it would take for this fact to come to light.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But wait, as the last remaining heir, don’t you have to continue the bloodline?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, and for the record, I have no issues performing with women. I simply do not have any chemistry with them, and derive little personal enjoyment from doing so.” Byakuya’s tone was resigned, not meeting anyone’s eyes as he confirmed Monokuma’s announcement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“M-Master, with me, a woman truly in love…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyway, this has nothing to do with Sakura’s murder.” He pulled a vial from his pocket, cutting Toko off as though she had not been speaking at all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Using concise wording, he explained that it was a poison that was only mildly harmful in small doses, but fatal in large, before upending the bottle into his own mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“BYAKUYA! NO!!!!” Makoto was barely aware he was screaming as his world shattered in an instant. Byakuya had been so insistent that his secret be kept lest it make him a target… was he trying to take the easy way out and end his own life?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Urg, disgusting. I don’t see what is so high quality about this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto was barely listening as his world slowly rebuilt around him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! He just swallowed poison! We have to make him puke it up!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get him some water! It’s bad to swallow powder dry!” When had Toko’s personality switched to Genocide Jack? Makoto had no idea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For the record, I’m talking about the protein powder.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then you didn’t drink poison?” Makoto was frantic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” Byakuya realized the trauma he had just put his lover through, and smiled softly. “My apologies, I should have told you what I intended.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you should have.” Makoto’s racing heart slowly returned to normal as Byakuya’s stunt revealed the truth; that Sakura had committed suicide, and Aoi had switched the bottles out in an attempt to kill all three of her suspects.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were forced to watch as Sakura’s dead body was punished, then dismissed, the conversation split between the revealed suicide, and the fact that Makoto and Byakuya were sexually involved.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Makoto collapsed onto his bed the second he returned to his room, exhausted beyond belief.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” His hand had slipped beneath his pillow, only to brush against an unfamiliar object. Lifting his pillow, he found the plug that Byakuya had been wearing when he’d dropped by for a little sex. Had it only been that morning? Already, it felt as though an eternity had passed since then.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stood, the plug in his hand, and headed for his door, intending to return it to Byakuya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But when he opened his door, he found himself face to face with the blond, his hand raised to ring the bell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byakuya?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who else could I be?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come in. Oh, you forgot this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know.” The twinkle in his eyes told Makoto that it had not been an accident.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m too tired for anything tonight.” He put the plug into his desk drawer when it became clear that Byakuya was not planning to take it and leave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now that we no longer have to hide, I was hoping to spend the night with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just told you…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not everything is about sex, Makoto. I want to fall asleep holding you in my arms, and that's all. I’m exhausted as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto relaxed, and smiled softly. “That sounds nice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only after they had stripped down to just their underwear, and Byakuya’s large body was spooned comfortably around his own did Makoto ask the question that had been haunting him. “Why did you choose that moment to drink from the vial of poison?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you think I would choose to die rather than live with being outed?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I mean… the timing…”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was for shock value. I was trying to shock everyone back on topic. It never occurred to me that my actions would be traumatic for you.” He kissed the top of Makoto’s head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re no closer to figuring out why we fit together so well, like we’ve been together for years.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. Monokuma is the key to solving that mystery, the only question is how to get the truth out of him?” Byakuya settled himself more comfortably, not complaining once of how small the bed was with both of them in it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can worry about that in the morning, however.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, in the morning.” Makoto was asleep almost before his eyes finished closing.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Conclusion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Byakuya couldn’t breathe as the announcement rang through the trial room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Makoto Naegi has been found guilty of murdering Mukuro Ikusaba. By the way, even though it was your testimony that sealed his fate; Byakuya, why did you vote for yourself? No matter. Oh that’s right, he’s your little loverboy. Too bad, everyone else voted for him, so without further ado, I present to you a special punishment for Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student. IT’S PUNISHMENT TIME!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” The word was barely audible, barely more than a gasp of air. He was frozen, unable to move, unable to breathe, unable to do anything but watch as Monokuma seized Makoto and dragged him into the Punishment chamber.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tears fell unnoticed down his cheeks as Makoto was strapped to a desk chair, and placed onto a moving conveyor. At the far end of the conveyor, a weight kept being drawn up, and each time it crashed down, Byakuya felt his heart stop. With each crash, Makoto was drawn closer and closer to that killing weight, to be flattened into a pancake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t notice when he collapsed to the ground, sprawled into a mess of disjointed limbs; his entire world had shrunk down to just Makoto and the After School Lesson Punishment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bang! Makoto was two desks away from the weight. Bang! Now only one desk…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya’s heart stopped beating as Makoto slid underneath that weight, and for the first time he understood completely why someone would choose suicide.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without Makoto, he had no hope of escaping the killing game, or Hope’s Peak Academy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without Makoto, he had no reason to live.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya had been in love before, and subsequently had his heart broken before, but it was never like this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Time seemed to stop as the weight just hung there, suspended in the air, and the entire world seemed to be waiting for the final, deadly crash.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“MAKOTO!!!!” His last, desperate, grief laden scream did nothing to shatter the silence, since he screamed so loud that no sound came out of his throat at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it never came. Makoto slid past the weight on the conveyor, dropping down a chute at the far end, still very much alive as he left Byakuya’s range of vision.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Distantly, he heard someone answer him, stating that Alter Ego had stopped the crusher, sacrificing their own life to save Makoto’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Makoto is… alive?!” Byakuya gasped the words out, each word as labored as if he had just been rescued from drowning and each breath was a battle with his water-filled lungs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that miserable boy survived.” Monokuma confirmed. “But he will never return from the garbage pit into which he fell!” Monokuma’s demented laughter echoed long after the bear himself retreated back to wherever he went when he wasn’t talking to them in person.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unaware of the eyes watching him, he placed his face into his hands and sobbed uncontrollably. Tears of joy that Makoto was alive warred with the knowledge that he might not make it out of the pit for them to reunite. Hope warred with the blackest despair in his heart, until a hand on his shoulder jerked him back to reality.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fuzzy faces surrounded him as he looked up, blurred from the tears in his eyes, and he wiped them away feeling truly ashamed of himself for the first time in his life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was a Togami; one of noble birth, and here he had allowed everyone to see his tears, and his grief at losing Makoto.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry this…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We will get him back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking up again, he saw that Hiro, Aoi, and Kyoko surrounded him, and it was Kyoko’s hand that lay upon his shoulder. What was more, none of them were embarrassed by his public display of emotion; it was true sympathy, not pity or shame, that caused their own eyes to glow with tears of their own, although none cried as he had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only Toko hung back, clearly torn between a desire to comfort him, and pained disbelief that he would choose a man over her. But even then, he saw no pity in her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not for him at any rate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With an iron grip, he wrangled his emotions back under control and stood up. “Kyoko, you’ve explored most of this school, have you not? Do you have any hypothesis as to where the garbage pit would be located?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The most logical place would be underneath the Garbage Disposal Room. I saw a trapdoor on the floor, maybe we can somehow use that to rescue Makoto.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly, the pieces fell into place, and hope blossomed in his heart, pushing out the despair. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>An entire night had passed since Makoto had plummeted out of sight, and with each passing second the worry grew, gnawing at Byakuya’s stomach lining.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What if the trapdoor was not the exit?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What if Makoto had been injured by the fall, and lay hurt and bleeding, unable to move as his life slowly drained away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What if… what if…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byakuya…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Makoto?” He looked up, his eyes locking with Makoto, unable to tell if this was reality or a vivid hallucination.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I must stink… the pit was full of rotting food…!” He was cut off as Byakuya threw his arms around him, crying softly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought I lost you forever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byakuya…” He didn’t have to see Makoto’s face to know he was blushing hotly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byakuya was beside himself with grief when you were selected to be executed.” Kyoko turned around. “Go take a shower, then we must prepare.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Prepare? Prepare for what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The final showdown with the mastermind.” She walked off, clearly intending to give them a private reunion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry I never thought about what would happen to you if I kept quiet about Kyoko having the key that unlocks every door.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You knew about that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Also that it was a trap. But I never thought I would end up as the one executed if I kept silent. You must have been in so much pain watching my execution…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya said nothing, he just held Makoto close to him, completely disregarding both the stench and residue of garbage clinging to the man, knowing his silence would speak louder than words ever could. “Let's go take that shower.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Together?” Makoto’s eyes were uncertain. “But we don’t have much time…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t let you out of my sight; I need to know that you’re really here and not just a figment of my mind.” Byakuya kissed his lips softly, his sex drive quiet for once. “I don’t want sex, not right now, I just want to know that you’re here, and unhurt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To Byakuya’s amazement, Makoto sighed indulgently. “I’m fine, the landing was surprisingly soft. I might have a few bruises, but that’s it. However, if this is what it takes to convince you, that’s fine with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His hand clenched tightly by Byakuya’s, they headed back to his room for a much needed shower and a change of clothes, detouring only once to retrieve clean clothes from Byakuya’s room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, see? Nothing broken, missing, or bleeding.” Makoto twirled around after undressing, his soiled clothes balled up for the laundry out of force of habit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you’re… you’re safe, and… Makoto…” He barely had time to process how oddly disjointed Byakuya’s speech was before he was grabbed once more, tears mixing with the water to cleanse his body and soul as Byakuya sobbed for the second time in as many days, crying out the last of his grief and despair at losing Makoto, as well as his relief at being reunited.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their lips met hungrily, devouring each other from the mouth down, not for pleasure, but out of a burning need to connect, hips rubbing together frantically as the kisses turned salty from fresh tears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They came together as one, more connected now then they had been when Makoto had been inside Byakuya, as their souls were connected, not just their bodies, and only after they separated back into individual beings were they able to fully process that they had both survived, were both whole and unharmed and alive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byakuya, did you consider… when you watched my execution did you…” Makoto broke off, both needing to know and dreading what he might learn.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the instant when you were directly underneath the crusher, I understood true despair for the first time, and I knew why suicides happen. I imagined myself hanging in your room, but that image shattered when you slid out, to safety. I would never put you through that.” Byakuya kissed him again, deep yet tender, trying to convey everything that was in his heart for the first time in his life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, this might be a late question, but what will your family think of me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have told you how the head of the Togami Family does not marry, instead impregnating as many exceptional women as they can?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Makoto shifted, uncomfortable thinking about Byakuya sleeping with women just to get them pregnant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because of that, my family won’t care if I have a partner, so long as they don’t prevent me from fulfilling my duty as the next head of the family. And impregnating does not have to mean sex, Makoto.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, paying for in-vitro fertilization for that many women would be far too expensive. I just have to get used to sharing you. At least I know it will only be your body being shared; your mind and soul will be mine alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course.” Byakuya turned off the shower. “But as long as we are trapped in here, my choices are limited to Kyoko and Aoi.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t forget about Toko.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya went as still as a statue. “Do not even jest about her carrying a child of mine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah.” Makoto did not understand Byakuya’s revulsion where Toko was concerned, but decided it was unwise to press any further.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kyoko is waiting.” He grabbed a towel and began to dry his hair, and after watching his lover for a long moment, Byakuya followed suit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hand in hand, they went to find Kyoko, filling themselves in on her investigation, and helping to find the final clues before heading down for a final Class Trial.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if we all lost our memories?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya knew what Makoto was getting at; if the group photos everyone received were real as Monokuma claimed, then the strange way they felt about each other made sense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I promise you, I haven’t lost my memory! Ever since I got to this school, I remember everything.” Aoi asserted confidently, only to be shot down by Makoto as he presented a DVD showing each of them interviewed by the Headmaster; the real Headmaster, not Monokuma; and each asked the same question:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay with spending the rest of your life in this school?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And each one of them, without fail, had said yes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, if this is true, just how big of a memory gap are we talking about?” Byakuya felt as though this was the key to unraveling everything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But even as Monokuma confirmed the memory loss as true, and brushed off the how of it as irrelevant, Byakuya’s hope was shot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re saying that what’s important is figuring out which memories we lost?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His eyes locked with Makoto’s across the room; how many secret dates and stolen kisses were taken from them? Just how much of the time they spent together as a couple was lost?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their first date, first kiss, first time having sex… all gone. “Is the memory loss reversible?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Puhuhu.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Answer me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you believe me if I said it was? Or if I said it was not?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya’s heart sank; Monokuma was right, there was no way he could trust anything the bear said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So which memories did you steal?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All I can say is that your memory loss is connected to the first motive I gave you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mean the first motive to start the killing game?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes. That part is still a secret though. I know it’s hard, but you need to solve the murder of Mukuro Ikusaba first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Makoto looked back at Byakuya, the heir had never seen so much anguish in anyone’s eyes as he did in that moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The debate raged, back and forth; first to establish that the mastermind was hidden somewhere in the school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Next came the revelation that Mukuro was murdered twice; once as herself…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And once as Junko Enoshima.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meaning that the mastermind had to be Junko Enoshima. There were no other options.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Especially once it was established that Mukuro had been posing as Junko since the moment they met in the front entry hall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even then, everything seemed to be progressing towards a smooth conclusion until…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Togami family fell.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Makoto uttered those words, he felt as though he were punched in the gut, and it wasn’t even his own family.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> It was Byakuya’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was the only remaining Togami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“As long as he had living siblings, even ones who were disowned by the family, I wasn’t overly worried about him having to get women pregnant. But if he’s the only one left… Does the entire fate of his family rest upon his shoulders? Does this mean he has to reproduce, or else the family is doomed?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Makoto felt a chill run down his spine. Did he really have no choice but to share Byakuya’s body with countless unknown women?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked across the room, but Byakuya was too shocked by the revelation to even notice him, and Makoto’s heart ached even more for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyway, like I was saying… Byakuya’s entire lineage has been totally annihilated!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Makoto was still trying to make eye contact with Byakuya, and was only half hearing what was said; until Junko stated that they’d arrived at the school two years ago.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Two years…? Then you took all of our school memories…?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only the podium he was leaning against kept his legs from collapsing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah that’s right! You’re Byakuya’s little loverboy, aren’t cha? So sorry I had to erase all the memories of your lovemaking over that time! But for Toko, this is probably a blessing. I did erase two years of unrequited pinning and having to watch her “Master” run around with a dude, after all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you saying we did not keep our relationship a secret?” Byakuya spat out scornfully. “No, that is impossible!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You did hide it for the first year.” Junko’s bubbly personality switched back to the emotionless one. “Even I don’t know how you hooked up, or if it was awkward the first time he tried to put it inside you. But once we started living a communal life, not leaving the school, it came out. Within a month of the school being sealed, everyone knew you two were together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If everyone knew then why weren’t either of us attacked for being different?” Byakuya pressed on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Genocide Jack is the answer to that one. She kept everyone from attacking you; even then, both Toko and herself were hopelessly in love with you. And after catching her attempting to ambush Makoto, you forbade her from laying a hand on him with intent to harm or kill. And she cannot go against anything you say, you know. Besides, it’s not like anyone besides her even cared anyway. Everyone already had their suspicions about the two of you long before you came out to us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see. That makes sense.” Byakuya finally looked at Makoto, and he mouthed “you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Byakuya only looked away; how could he even begin to sum up his inner turmoil in terms of okay, or not okay?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he looked back, and nodded. Even with his turmoil; his horror at the idea that his family was eliminated, that he was the only Togami left, he was okay. He would always be okay, as long as Makoto was by his side.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you all certain about this?” Makoto clenched the escape button tightly in one hand, and Byakuya’s hand in his other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The air purifiers have indeed shut down. We cannot stay locked inside this school without clean air. Besides I have to know if my family is really gone. We all have to know that truth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! I need to find my brother!” Aoi agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wonder how my Mom is doing?” Hiro was almost frantic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Makoto, do you think your sister might have survived?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byakuya? Why are you so concerned about her?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This might be strange, but if I am indeed the last Togami, and if she has survived, I was thinking about making her the first woman to bear me a child.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My sister?” Makoto paled. “Why Komaru? Of all the women left alive, why Komaru?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because how else can we have a child genetically related to both of us?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Byakuya…” His heart stuttered in his chest; he had not expected Byakuya’s reasoning to be so oddly romantic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are we all ready?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” They all answered as one; and Makoto pressed the button, ending their time at Hope's Peak, and ushering them into the future.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>For the record, Byakuya voted for himself as the blackened during the fifth class trial as a subconscious effort to sacrifice himself in Makoto's place, but he's not fully aware of that himself, which is why he never actually answers the question.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please visit my profile for more information on how to support me as a writer.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>